Concerned about cannabis?
EDITOR: Our city council is getting closer to finalizing the cannabis ordinance. I have attended several city council meetings and when this ordinance is on the agenda I feel that pro-cannabis has a stronger voice on the city council.
The Cloverdale vote on Prop. 64 was very close (approximately 4 percent spread). The city council has an important role in representing the interests of the community. Elected officials should know where various residents stand on issues. This, obviously, is important in attempting to balance conflicting values that often come into play during the policy making process.
These duties and responsibilities can be summed up as: Do the very best to represent your constituents only after you’ve seen to the interests of the community as a whole.
I am requesting that the city council give voice to the members of the community who voted against Prop 64. There are several communities around us that are proposing restrictions and allowances.
A good start would be to show respect for neighbors by not allowing any outdoor growth in residential areas. If medical growth is allowed outdoors, then require containment. Neighbors should not have to endure the offensive odor and security problems.
Bottom line: the city council owns what will happen to the community with the current ordinance. If you are concerned about the impact of cannabis in your neighborhood and our town, I urge you to attend the council meetings. You can go to their website and get the agenda three days before their meeting (second and fourth Tuesday, 6:30 p.m., Cloverdale Performing Arts Center). If you do not have internet access you can call city hall.
Shirley Davis
Cloverdale
City response to letter
EDITOR: I read with interest Ms. Linda Elliot’s letter to the editor published in last week’s Reveille. Ms. Elliot’s letter makes a misstatement of the facts that occurred on April 4 regarding bulk mulch delivered on Foothill Boulevard for a community landscape project. Ms. Elliot’s statement that the mulch piles were “not blocking lanes” on Foothill Boulevard is inaccurate. The manner in which the mulch was delivered, and the large size of the piles did present an immediate traffic hazard.
The mulch piles blocked the bicycle lane and most of the vehicle lane at multiple locations on Foothill Boulevard, which forced vehicles to cross the double yellow centerline into the oncoming traffic lane. There was no notice or advanced communication that the landscape project was happening in the public right of way.
I appreciate that action was taken to move the mulch with a large wheel loader, however the operation of heavy equipment in the street without temporary warning signs or traffic control posed an additional danger to cyclists and motorists using the street. In this case, the city took action to immediately assist the community project by placing the city’s own temporary traffic warning signs in the work zone to warn motorists and cyclists of the danger, and by providing high visibility highway safety vests. Typically, private parties working in the public right of way are responsible for provision of their own personal protective equipment, warning signs and control devices.
In the future, when receiving bulk deliveries in the public right of way, I recommend that you please notify and consult with the city in advance. Bulk deliveries can be safely done when the pile sizes are properly managed to not cover the street’s traveled way.
Finally, good efforts of community groups are appreciated and supported by the city. Permit fees are routinely reduced or waived for community projects or events in the public right of way. The city also helps community groups by providing traffic control barricades and signage, however City Hall needs to be communicated with in advance so that motorists, cyclists, pedestrians and volunteer workers may all be safe.
Paul Cayler
Cloverdale City Manager
Give Trump a chance
EDITOR: Admittedly, I did not graduate in the top half of my class. Could this fact possibly have anything to do with my finding it difficult to understand the rationale, the need, or the importance of making President Trump’s income tax returns available? I do not see how this action will affect Trump’s ability to perform the President’s duties. Once these returns are approved and accepted by the IRS, who am I to question their findings?
A previous letter to the Cloverdale Reveille dated April 20, suggests there might be something in Trump’s tax returns that proves he is only using his position to “feather his own nest.” Now, seriously, if Trump’s only interest was for personal financial gain, why would he torture himself with the rigors of running for President? After all, didn’t most reporters and pollsters give his chances of winning as slim-to-none? Wouldn’t a better path have been to just continue doing what he’d always done? Apparently, it was quite profitable.
If the anti-Trump movement is successful and these tax returns are released to the general public, and if there is no incriminating evidence discovered, are we going to hear an apology ending with a “now let’s move forward?” Or will they spend the next four years scrutinizing these returns in hopes of finding another item to add to their arsenal in order to throw more roadblocks in the pathway to our country’s success? Trump may not have been my first choice as President, but he was elected as such. Shouldn’t we all give him a chance? Haven’t his first three months shown promise?
Are any of us critical of his influence on the stock market, or the drop in unemployment, or the reduction in illegal, undocumented aliens with drugs? How about his successful negotiations with manufacturing companies who planned to leave the U.S. and build plants elsewhere and are now pledging to remain in the U.S.? Shouldn’t we give credit where credit is due? Considering the volatile foreign situation and rogue nations with nuclear weapons (North Korea and the Middle East), shouldn’t we put politics aside and allow Trump to concentrate on these more important issues that really matter?
R.B. Southard
Yorkville
Mark your calendar
EDITOR: It’s been 16 years since the first Cloverdale Kiwanis sponsored Mother’s Day breakfast, and what a tradition. Speaking of traditions, if you’ve got one for Mother’s Day that doesn’t include the Kiwanis breakfast, then maybe it’s time to revisit what you are doing. The menu includes: pancakes, sliced ham, scrambled eggs, fresh strawberries, and several choices of beverage, all-you-can-eat. Every mother who walks in the door is given a carnation. The price is right – just $10 for adults and $5 for children. But, maybe even more importantly, all the proceeds from this event will be used to reward deserving seniors at Cloverdale High School with academic scholarships. So, reward yourself with a fantastic breakfast, and in the process know that you are doing a very good deed. The event is being held on Sunday, May 14 at the Cloverdale High School cafeteria from 8 – 11:30 a.m. We hope you many of you in Cloverdale start a new Mother’s Day tradition and that we see you all there.
Sue Cummins
Kiwanis Club of Cloverdale
